


The Poisoning

by LadyPaigeC



Series: Embracing Life [2]
Category: Doctor Who, Doctor Who & Related Fandoms, Doctor Who (2005)
Genre: Angst, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Explicit Sexual Content, F/M, Hurt/Comfort, Romance, Swearing
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-07-20
Updated: 2016-07-20
Packaged: 2018-07-25 16:23:44
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 10,277
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7539619
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LadyPaigeC/pseuds/LadyPaigeC
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Rose is poisoned on an alien planet. Can the Doctor find an antidote and save her?</p><p>Sequel to 3 Steps Forward, 4 Steps Back</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Occurs mid to late Season 2, there are references to Bad Wolf and Girl in the Fireplace, so spoiler alert. Also refers back to the first story in this series, so you might want to read that one first.

“It’s about time you showed up,” Rose snapped. She was strapped down to a wheeled stretcher in a sterile hospital room. Tubes were inserted in both her arms collecting blood and filtering it through a collection of medical devices. “Get these out of me, yeah?”

The Doctor rushed through the door and slid to a halt beside her. Instead of unstrapping her, he took out his sonic screwdriver and scanned her and the assortment of machines she was connected to. “Hang on, I just want to make sure it's safe to start pulling tubes out. Oooh, what do we have here?” He pulled on his “brainy specs” as Rose like to call his glasses and examined the equipment that was collecting Rose’s blood. “Well, that’s...odd.” He tilted his head as he pondered the machine’s purpose. “I don’t know why they would think you could even produce that chemical. They have to know you’re human.”

“Um, Doctor, I hate to interrupt your speculatin’ an’ all, but is it safe to disconnect me? I’m feelin’ a little woozy. An’ I wanna get outta here before those Komodo dragon people come back.”

The Doctor rolled his eyes at her and put his glasses back into his pocket. He quickly moved to disconnect Rose from the machines and unstrap her. “They’re Venungulians, Rose.”

He raised a hand to steady her as she jumped out of the bed and stumbled.

“I am so glad to see you,” Rose said as she hugged the Doctor.

The Doctor leaned back and looked her over quickly. “You’ve lost a bit of blood, not a dangerous amount, but enough that you’ll feel light headed for a few hours. We should really get outta here, do you think you’re okay to run?”

“Yup.”

“Come on.” The Doctor went to the door before stopping short and turning around. “Oh! This bit is very important. The Venungulians have a secretion that they emit through the tips of their claws.” The Doctor placed his hand on Rose’s shoulders. “Do not let them scratch you, got it?”

“Uh huh.”

The Doctor looked over at Rose and held out his hand. “Ready?”

She took his hand in hers, and gave him a quick grin. “ _Beyond_ ready.”

He returned it with a silly grin of his own. “Run.”

\--------------------

They almost made it out of the hospital without being noticed. They were trying to remain inconspicuous by not running through the lobby when they were spotted by a Venungulian nurse who had been tending to Rose. On seeing Rose, she charged after them. “You were not being discharged today. Security!”

The Doctor and Rose looked at each other and took off running. They made it out the door, the nurse still chasing after them shouting, “Someone stop those two!”

A young Venungulian man was walking toward the hospital when he heard the shouting and glanced up. Startled to see two humanoids running at him, he made a grab for Rose and caught her around the wrist. 

The Doctor lifted his sonic at the man and growled, “Let her go.” 

Rose jerked her wrist from the Venungilian’s grasp, as the man lifted his hands in the air and said, “I don’t want any trouble.” 

Rose and the Doctor took off running again. 

When the nurse made it to the Venungulian man’s side, she was panting and demanded to know, “Why did...you let...them go?”

“They pointed a weapon at me!”

“That female off-worlder...produced a chemical that...could have been used to cure...the prime disease. And you just let them get away!” The nurse glared at the young man. 

Embarrassed that had he held on to the female off-worlder just a little longer, he’d have been hailed a hero rather than being berated by a slip of a nurse. Then again he could be dead. He grumbled, “Well, if she was that important maybe you should have done a better job of not losing her in the first place.” He stalked off, his day completely ruined.

\--------------------

The Doctor and Rose slammed the door to the TARDIS closed and leaned back against it laughing and smiling at each other. “That was another close one, eh, Rose?”

“Seems like that’s all we’ve been havin’ lately.” Rose was rubbing her wrist were the Venungulian had grabbed her. “Why did they want my blood anyway? Wouldn't ‘ave thought it’d be compatible, bein’ different species and all.” The Doctor was frowning and he went to take her wrist in hand. “They weren’t gonna drink it or anything were they?” Rose asked shuddering.

The Doctor looked up at her and with a smirk on his lips said, “No, not quite. They harvest chemicals that they can’t make themselves and use them in drugs.”

“Like to get high?”

“No, well, yes I guess they could, but mostly as medicine. When I was looking for you in the hospital, I overheard two chemists talking about working on a cure for their prime disease. That’s their version of what you’d call a common cold.” 

The Doctor glided his fingers over Rose’s wrist. “When did you get this?” he asked, gently rubbing a small mark on the back of her hand near her thumb.

Rose was having trouble concentrating with the little shivers of pleasure that the Doctor’s touch elicited. _Get it together. He’s asking you a question._ “What?”

“This.” The Doctor tapped on what looked like a scrape. 

She looked down at the small scratch. “Dunno, hadn’t noticed it before.”

The Doctor wrenched himself away from Rose and turned toward the hallway leading out of the console room. “Med bay. Now.” He looked over his shoulder at a confused Rose. “Now!”

Rose, eyes wide in shock at his yelling at her, followed after him. “Doctor, it’s nothing. Doesn’t even hurt.”

The Doctor stopped and spun around to face Rose. “Nothing? Do you remember when I told you not to let the Venungulians scratch you? Their secretions are poisonous to humans.” He grabbed her shoulders and gave her a little shake. “You could be dying right now!”

Rose felt like her heart stopped and then immediately began to race. “But it didn’t...didn’t even break the skin.” She looked at the tiny scratch, and the Doctor grabbed her hand and once again started for the med bay pulling her behind him.

\---------------------

“Dying? You didn’t mean that did you? Doctor!”

The Doctor ignored her questions as they reached their destination. He pointed to a metallic, examination table in the center of the room. “Up.”

Rose hopped up on the table, biting her lip and kicking her feet nervously.

“I’m going to take a blood sample and check for traces of the Venungulian toxin, okay?”  
Rose nodded her head. The Doctor pressed her thumb to a small needle and placed the resulting blood drop onto a glass plate. He put the plate into a slot in a computer like machine and started typing in the parameters he wanted checked.

Rose was clenching her hands together and examined the scrape again. _Is that a little blood or is that just a welt from the scrape?_ She couldn’t tell. 

The Doctor hopped up on the table next to Rose. “Rose, look at me.” Rose turned to look at him, “I'm sorry I yelled at you before, you were right. We don't know if that scratch is definitely from when the Venungulian grabbed you. You could've gotten it anywhere. And even if it was from--” The blood test machine beeped its completion and the Doctor jumped off the table and rushed over to look at the results.

Rose lowered herself down off the examination table and followed the Doctor more slowly to look at the results. She peered around his shoulder at the screen with the Doctor’s language on it. The Doctor stood completely still, that should have been her first clue, he never stayed still, not in this body. “Doctor, what’s it say? You know I can't read Gallifreyan.”

He turned to look at her and the look of despair on his face had her stumbling backwards. He reached for her and dragged her into a crushing hug. He rested his chin on the top of her head. “Rose, I’m not going to let anything happen to you.” He pulled back to look her in the eye. “Do you hear me? I'm gonna fix this.” 

“I know you will. Um, it’s a toxin right? Is there some sorta antidote or antitoxin or somethin’ like that? I’m guessin’ from your reaction there’s probably none on the TARDIS, but, well, we’re still on Venungul, they must have somethin’, right?” Rose licked her lips nervously.

The Doctor’s gaze followed the path of her tongue, before he snapped back to attention. “Rose Tyler, that’s brilliant.” The Doctor looked at Rose affectionately. “There isn't a cure for the Venungulian toxin on Venungul, since it only affects humans and the natives never saw a need for it. But...if anyone can figure one out I can.” He gave her a flirty grin and waggled his eyebrows. “Genius, me.”

She gave a little laugh at him, and he jumped into action. He started furiously typing into the computer with Rose’s blood sample. On the attached screen a long list of mathematical and chemical formulas appeared. The Doctor glanced at them before running over to a line of cabinets that made up one wall of the room. He flung them open and started pulling out vials of liquids of every color. He brought armful after armful over to a work table. He pulled on his specs and consulted the formula screen again.

Rose was trying to stay out of his way. She really wasn't feeling very well. Now that the adrenaline of their flight had worn off, she felt a myriad of symptoms from the blood loss. She felt the beginning of a headache coming on, she still felt dizzy, and when she tried to stand up straight it made her nauseous. She tried to alleviate the dizziness and nausea by leaning back against the exam table she’d been sitting on earlier. 

The Doctor glanced over at her and he must have noticed noticed something in her expression or maybe her pallor. He stopped what he was doing to move over and help her up onto the table so she could sit. Then he went over to a nearby drawer and took out a bottle labeled “Human.” He opened it and poured it into a glass for her. “Drink this. It’ll help you recover from the blood loss. Perfectly formulated for a human...and it’s hydrating. Tastes like Lucozade.” 

She took it from him with a shaking hand and sipped it slowly. “Thanks.”

He made his way back over to the work table, took off his glasses, and got to work by mixing liquids together, sniffing, adding other liquids, stirring. “So after we get this sorted, where’d you like to go next? I was thinking somewhere relaxing, maybe a pleasure planet, ooh or a beach. I know you love a good beach. We never did make it to Barcelona. What do you say, Rose, fancy seeing Barcelona?”

Her eyes sparkled mischievously and she gave him the grin that he loved - the one where just a hint of tongue poked out between her teeth. “Oh you think you can make it there this time? I seem to remember a trip where you _said_ Barcelona, but we ended up on--”

“Rose Tyler, are you impugning my driving? I'll have you know, you’d have hated to miss that revolution. That was a good revolution, practically textbook. Well, I'm sure it ended up in a textbook, so yeah...textbook revolution, that.”

She raised an eyebrow at him. “The revolution wasn't so bad, but I could’ve done without the night in prison. We’ve definitely been in better.”

He gave her an exaggerated pout. “We’ve been in worse too. And the company wasn't so bad.”

She rolled her eyes and giggled at him. ”The company was definitely top banana.”

His pout turned into a flash of smile, before re-concentrating on his work. He held up the mixture and looked at it from every angle. He moved to the the machine with Rose’s blood sample. He took a dropper and placed a single drop of his mixture on another glass plate and slid it into the slot where he previously placed Rose’s blood. The machine began to make a whirring sound and then gave three beeps. Looking over the results, the Doctor muttered, “Damn.” He pulled at his hair making it stick up in spikes.

He looked at Rose and with an overly chipper voice and a big grin said, “Not to worry, I’ll get it right in no time.” She gave him a half smile and nodded at him. When he turned away, she couldn't stop the look of concern that crossed her face and slumped forward a little. 

The Doctor took the mixture back to his work table and placed it over a burner. Then he started over, mixing a new set of liquids. He placed that one into the machine, and again it whirred and beeped three times. He looked at the formulas again, his jaw clenched tight.

“Doctor?”

Again he plastered a big smile on his face. “Almost there, Rose. Nothing to worry about!”

Rose looked at the Doctor worriedly. He turned and frenetically took his newest mixture back to the work table. He grabbed the dropper and added four drops from the original mixture, now bubbling on the burner, to the newest mixture. He roughly stirred it all together. Then he began looking through vials and put a little of this and a little of that. When he was finally satisfied he rushed to test that mixture. He was practically vibrating with energy while waiting for the results. When the three beeps rang out once again, he grabbed the screen and his eyes flew over the formulations. “No!” He slammed his fist down on the counter and was struggling to control his breathing, respiratory bypass or no.

“Doctor…”

The Doctor raised his hand not looking away from the equations in front of him. “Rose, not now, I need to think.”

“But Doctor, I'm just so tired. Can I lay on that cot over there? The table’s uncomfortable.”

He turned to look at her and she was curled in on herself, fighting to keep her eyes open. “Rose! Stay with me.” He ran over to her and bent down to be at her eye level. “I need you to fight it...stay awake. Can you do that for me?”

Rose sighed. “I’m so tired. How...how much time do I have left?”

“Don't talk like that, you’re gonna be fine.” The Doctor cupped Rose’s face in his hand.

“Doctor, please, be honest with me.” The Doctor reluctantly dropped his hand from her, took out his sonic, and scanned Rose from head to toe. He looked at the calculations and closed his eyes, grimacing. When he made no move look at her, Rose reached out for him and gently touched his arm. “Doctor?”

Keeping his eyes firmly shut, the Doctor replied, “About four hours. But I can--”

“Doctor, can you help me over to the cot?”

He finally opened his eyes and looked down at her. She looked so young and so brave and it hurt his hearts to think of her not being right there by his side. Sweeping her up in his arms, he buried his face in the crook of her neck, breathing her in. He carried her across the room to the small cot nestled in the corner. He gently placed her down and kissed her on the forehead before disentangling his arms from around her. As he moved to stand up, Rose grabbed his hand and pulled him so that he fell to his knees beside the cot. “Wait...stay with me...please.”

“But Rose, I'm still working on the antidote.”

So softly the Doctor barely heard her, Rose asked, “Is...is it going to hurt...eventually? The poison I mean.”

The Doctor gaped at her. “No!” He tried to hold it in, but he ended up making a strangled sort of sound. “No pain. It’s...it's a fairly kind toxin as far as toxins go. It makes people more and more tired until they fall asleep and then...a coma, until they finally...it’s painless. But I won't let that happen to you!”

His hand was squeezing hers almost painfully, and Rose pushed herself upright. She brought her free hand up and around the Doctor’s back, pulling him into a hug. He let go of the hand he was gripping and crushed her to him. “Rose, please, Rose.”

Rose whispered into his ear, “Doctor, I need you to promise me something.”

The Doctor leaned back to look her in the eye. “Anything.”

“I…” Rose took a deep breath. “I need you to promise me that you’ll tell my mum...that you won't just let her wonder why I never came home...and that you’ll bring my b...my body back to her.”

The Doctor opened his mouth, but no words came out. He had a panicked look on his face. He looked over to his work table and the unfinished antidotes, and back to Rose who had tears leaking down her face. Her hands had moved and were grasping his lapels.

“Oh, Rose. Of course I will. Don't cry.” He brought his hands to frame her face, his thumbs wiped the moisture from under her glistening eyes. He leaned forward and gently pressed his lips to hers.

The soft sigh of pleasure from Rose brought him back to himself, and he jerked away from her. “I’m just gonna get back to work.”

Rose grabbed his hand before he was out of reach. “I'm not gonna be able to stay awake much longer, and I don't wanna be alone while I am. You’ll have nearly four hours to sort it while I’m...sleeping. Stay with me?”

The Doctor debated with himself, but finally nodded. He climbed onto the cot behind her, resting his chin in the crook of her neck, and pulled her tightly to him. 

She slanted her head back so that her cheek was touching his. “I want you to know, that I've loved every minute of traveling with you and wouldn't trade it for anything.”

“Quite...quite right, too.”

She huffed out a little laugh at that, but sobered quickly. “And I don't want you to blame yourself for this.”

“But--”

“No, you listen to me, this is not your fault. And don't get all broody and travel alone. You’re rubbish on your own. You need a minder.” Rose closed her eyes and snuggled back into the Doctor’s embrace.

“Don't say that, Rose. You’re gonna get better and be the one keepin’ me outta trouble. Dame Rose Marion Tyler, of the Powell Estates, Defender of Humanity and Keeper of the Doctor.”

She laughed and nodded, but choked out, “Just in case.”

They clung to each other in silence for a moment, each trying not to think about what that meant. _In case._

Rose couldn't manage to keep her eyes open any longer, and she could feel a fog descending over her consciousness. _I wanted to say something else. What was it?...Oh!_ She whispered breathily, “I love you.”

“Oh, Rose, I…” The Doctor pulled back, and without him supporting her she rolled onto her back, eyes closed, breathing even, completely asleep.

The Doctor closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and softly murmured, “I love you too.” 

He rolled himself out of bed and found a blanket that he draped over Rose. He scanned her with the sonic again. “Three hours and 47 minutes.” He pressed a kiss to her lips and threw himself back into working on the antitoxin.

\--------------------

After three hours and 40 minutes of working, and failure after failure, the Doctor was despondent. He looked like he’d been awake for weeks, he had deep shadows under his eyes, his clothes were rumpled, his tie askew, his hair disheveled. He picked up his latest failure and flung it against the wall. The sound of glass breaking shattered the quiet of the room. Chest heaving, he stalked over to his work station and ran his arm across the surface knocking everything to the floor. The Doctor bellowed a sound of rage and pain. When the only sound in the room was his heavy breathing, the Doctor looked around at the remnants of the last four hours and it struck him – it was over. He was out of chances.

The Doctor shuffled over to where Rose lay unmoving on the cot. His hearts fluttered in his chest. _No, not unmoving. She’s still breathing. She’s still with me._

He climbed into the bed behind her and took out his sonic, but then put it away without scanning her. He didn’t really want to know how many minutes and seconds they had left. He just wanted to hold her. He lay down and pulled her back against him. He kissed her neck and could feel her sluggish pulse. He hugged her close. _No, this isn’t right._ The Doctor gently turned Rose so that they were facing each other. He gathered her cool hands to his chest, placing one over each heart, then he wrapped her up in his arms, pulled the covers over them both, and held her. _Don’t leave me. Please don’t leave me._ “I’m sorry, Rose. I’m so sorry.” He closed his eyes tight against the tears that threatened, and breathed in the scent of her.

There was nothing in the universe, any of them, that smelled as good to him as Rose Tyler. The scent of her could calm him, or inspire him, or give him strength. She healed him. She grounded him. She made him want to be a better man. She was his lodestone. He didn’t know what it was about this little human that called out to him, that attracted them to each other. She’d sent him on his way the first time he’d asked her to travel with him, but he came back to her. Then when he tried to send her away, to keep her safe, she came right back. She knew when to push him and knew when to wait him out. _I let her wait these last couple of months for me to acknowledge what we have and now we’re out of time. I'm an idiot._ She knew what he needed even sometimes when he didn't. He didn’t know how he was going to live without her. She was the first person he had let in after the loss of Gallifrey, and she was the only one he wanted even now. _Why didn't I tell her when I had the chance?_

The seconds of Rose’s life were ticking away, and the Doctor could feel the loss of each one. He felt as if someone had taken a razor to his hearts and every second another little bit was being shaved off. He didn’t want to be there when the seconds finally expired, but he couldn’t leave her either. _I‘m a coward._ He hugged her close with one arm. He placed his free hand on an exposed coral that made up part of the walls and asked the TARDIS to help put him into a deep sleep. Asleep his head fell forward bumping into Rose’s, their breath mingling.


	2. Chapter 2

The Doctor crashed into consciousness two hours, 57 minutes, and 18 seconds later. He didn’t move and kept his eyes tightly closed. He wasn’t ready yet to face reality, a reality without Rose. 

After a time, he opened his eyes and allowed his mind to connect with his senses; he could hear the hum of the TARDIS, he could see Rose’s hands still pressed against his chest, he could smell the scent of the shampoo Rose used this morning. He choked back a sob. He could feel...feel a faint wisp of breath on his neck.

_Wait, what?_ “What?” He pulled back from Rose to better see her. Her eyes were closed, her mouth slightly parted, but her chest still rose and fell with every breath she took. _She’s still alive? She’s still alive!_

The Doctor brought out his sonic and scanned her again. It was telling him that she had five hours and 49 minutes to live based on the amount of toxin in her system, but nearly seven hours ago, she’d only had four hours. _What? Humans can’t filter this toxin. So, how?_

The Doctor climbed over Rose and got the implements needed to take another blood sample. He paced, carefully avoiding the detritus of broken glass, while waiting for the results. When the machine beeped the Doctor carefully examined the results closely. She definitely had less toxin in her system than she did when he took the first sample. “But…this is impossible.”

The Doctor started walking back and forth across the med bay. “Okay, what do I know. One: Rose has less Venungulian toxin in her system now then she did seven hours ago. Two: Rose is somehow filtering the toxin from her system, Two (A): It’s being filtered slowly, very slowly and Two (B): she isn’t out of danger yet. But that brings us back to One: Rose has less toxin in her system and One (B): Rose is still alive; thank the universe...alive! Three: This is completely impossible. Four: I’m missing something. What am I missing?”

The Doctor ran over to the computer, he began typing in larger parameters with which to test Rose’s blood. He didn't want to look only for the presence and amount of Venungulian toxin, but a full blood panel. Anything that could be discovered in her blood, he wanted discovered. Then he ran over to a cupboard and brought out a 31st century Earth Colony VII full body scanner. It wasn't as precise as a 78th century scanner, but it should mesh better with Rose’s late 20th century physiology. He ran the wand from her head to her toes and had the computer check the results against the control scan the TARDIS ran on Rose from early on in her travels with them. _I am thick, thickity thick thick thick. Is this something Bad Wolf related? I should have done those tests I wanted to when I found out Rose could hear the TARDIS, but no I had to run from one distraction to the next. All because I didn’t want to tell her how much she means to me._

He knew he had some time before the in depth testing would be completed, so he walked over to Rose and pulled a stool up to the cot. He sat down beside her and clasped one of her hands in his. With his other hand he brushed the hair out of her face and stroked along her jawline. For once he was content to simply sit.

_I don’t deserve her and she definitely deserves better than me, but I know a second chance when I see one. I hope she can forgive me for everything I’ve put her through. What if she wants to leave? No! She said she loved me. She won’t ask to leave, right? I’ll just have to prove to her that I’m deserving of it. And show her I'm serious about sharing my life with her. I know...I’ll ask her to move into my room. Is that too quick? Nah, we've been living together for years already. Oh, but what if she likes her room better? I guess I can move in with her. Or I can have the TARDIS merge them. Oooh, I like that idea. Maybe she’ll want wooing. I’ll have to come up with a list of romantic spots to bring her. And I can cook her an extravagant dinner. Human women like that, right? Shows a man can provide for her. I better brush up on my 21st century Earth mating rituals. I wonder if they’re still requiring a declaration in front of the head of the family...ugh, that would be Jackie...oh really not looking forward to that. I can do it for Rose...if I have to. She wouldn’t really make me though...I don’t think, right? She knows Jackie likes to slap, and Rose likes this face...I’m fairly sure...no, of course she does. What’s not to like? Well that settles it, Rose can tell Jackie._ The Doctor gave a satisfied hum, and lifted Rose’s hand to his lips and kissed the back of it before settling it between his own.

After about 10 minutes, the body scan was completed, and the Doctor reluctantly pulled himself away from Rose’s side to check the readout. He did a double take and glanced over at Rose. The blood test beeped its completion and the Doctor ran over, slipping on the wet ground. He pulled on his glasses and read through the results. His jaw dropped and a small squeak escaped his mouth, though he’d deny it later. _Time Lords do not squeak, thank you very much._ Holding onto the screen with both hands, he read through the results again, then he looked at Rose, then back at the screen, and at Rose again. 

He made his way back to Rose on unsteady feet, and pulled out his sonic. He sank down on the stool and fiddled with the settings on his screwdriver until he found the one he was looking for. He did a final scan on Rose with the one tool he trusted more than any other. He stared in shock at the results, before a huge grin spread across his face. 

\--------------------

The first things Rose noticed when she woke up was a dry mouth, a pounding headache, and a queasy stomach. _What the Hell did I drink last night?_ The second things she noticed were that she was in a strange bed, in a room she had never seen before, and had no recollection of how she’d got there. She had a moment of blind panic before she realized she could still feel and hear the TARDIS, she was still on the TARDIS. _How much did I drink last night?_ She hadn't been blackout drunk since that time she and Jack played ‘Never have I ever...’ with a bottle of hypervodka. _Ok, calm down. What's the last thing I remember...Hmm. Hospital? Lizard people. Running, there’s always running._ Rose smiled as she thought that. _A scratch. Four hours to live._ Rose looked quickly down at her hand but she didn't see any sign of a scratch. _Did I dream the whole thing? I am never drinking again._

Rose tried getting out of bed, but as she reached out her arm to pull off the covers, she realized she was hooked up to an IV drip. _How did I miss that?_ She called out for the Doctor, but it ended up sounding more like a croak. She cleared her throat and tried again. “Doctor?”

She figured he must have been close by, because right away he popped his head into the doorway, a smile breaking out on his face. “Rose, you’re awake!” He rushed into the room, and Rose barely had a minute to take him in (no jacket or tie, unbuttoned oxford, henley on full display) before he launched himself at her. He hugged her desperately. “Oh, I've missed you.”

“Missed me? Where have I been? And where am I? What room is this?”

“Sleeping.” He rolled his eyes. “You humans, sleep your lives away if you could. And this is my room. Well um, I thought maybe, you’d, um...never mind, plenty of time for that later.”

She boggled at that bit of news and glanced around the room in curiosity. She never would have guessed it. It was much more clean...organized...than she would have been expecting from this Doctor. Maybe for her last more reserved Doctor, but then again she supposed he barely used it. She didn’t think he did anything but catch a cat nap in the console room or maybe the couch in the library. But upon closer inspection there were bits and bobs of machine parts scattered about on his desk and the dresser. _It’s not quite the workshop that I imagined it to be, that is if I ever spent any imagining what his room might look like. Right. Moving on._ She forced herself to look right at the Doctor. “How long ’ave I been out for?”

“Six days, four hours, 23 minutes and 17 seconds.”

Rose mouth fell open. “Six days? Blimey!” A smile spread over her mouth, her eyes sparkling as she said, “You figured out a cure, then? Not that I doubted you could, if anyone could it’d be you, Doctor.”

The Doctor stood up straight, his hand going to the back of his neck. “Er, weeeellll. I didn’t exactly...though I guess if you want to be technical, I suppose I was partially responsible for…” He trailed off as he gestured up and down Rose’s body. “50% to be precise! Though you’re also partially responsible...50% again, the other 50%. Cuz 50 plus 50 is 100. 100% that is. Oh! But if you stop to consider it, it’s the Time Lord genes that are 100% responsible. So looking at it that way, I did save you!” 

The Doctor leaped over Rose to land laid out on the bed beside her. He was turned just slightly to face her, elbow propping up his head, a manic grin on his face. Rose looked at him stunned. She didn’t know which was more confusing, his babble or his behavior. “I have no idea what you’re goin’ on about? How did I do half? I was unconscious.”

“Oh, um, I didn’t exactly find an antidote.”

“So you…what? I can’t help but notice I’m still alive.” Rose muttered under her breath, “Because believe me though my idea of heaven includes the Doctor in bed with me, there would be considerably less clothes.”

The Doctor squeaked out,” What?!”

Rose blushed furiously. _Did I say that out loud?_ “Never mind.”

“Ah, yeah, well,” the Doctor cleared his throat before continuing, “the toxin is being filtered from your bloodstream. Should be completely gone in, oh, two more days.” 

“‘S that what this is doing?” she asked, pointing up at the machine monitoring her IV drip.

“Nope. That’s to provide nutrients and hydration.”

“I still don’t understand. You said the toxin was poisonous to humans, that I’d need an antidote. How’s it bein’ filtered?” She looked around, but the only medical equipment in the room was the IV drip.

“Ah, Rose Tyler, always asking the right questions.” He looked at her proudly.

Rose crossed her arms over her chest and glared at the Doctor. “And you are the king of evaded answers.” 

“ _Your_ body isn’t filtering the toxins.” The Doctor paused and took a deep breath.

“What? Am I still in danger?”

The Doctor gaped at her. “No!” He embraced her and snuggled into her neck.  
“You’re going to be completely fine.” 

“So why are you being so weird? Weirder than normal anyway? What’re you hiding?”

The Doctor pulled back slightly and gave her a shy smile. “Rose, you...you’re pregnant.”

Her eyes shot up to his. “What?”

His smile got bigger. “You’re pregnant. About 12 weeks along, well obviously since the only time we--” He shut his mouth so fast his teeth clacked together and blushed furiously.

She gaped at him.

He hopped out of his side of the bed and started pacing. “And the baby, my clever little Time Lord son...it’s a boy, Rose, a boy! He’s been pulling the toxins from your bloodstream along with the oxygen and nutrients he needs and converting it to a waste product that you can then safely carry in your bloodstream to dispose of! He’s brilliant, Rose! A full grown Time Lord could have filtered the toxin in, oh, a few minutes, but the baby is tiny, like the size of a lime, so it’s taken him nearly a week…” The Doctor spun around and found himself in front of Rose, but he trailed off as he took in her face. She looked pale, her eyes are huge in her face.

“I’m pregnant?” Her hand shakingly moved to her still flat belly.

“Yeah,” the Doctor said, though it came out more like a question.

Rose’s face fell and she closed her eyes tightly.

“Rose are you...do you not want...are you unhappy about this?” He placed his hand gently on her shoulder.

“If I died...the baby would’ve...and I wouldn’t’ve ever known.” She flung herself at him and broke into sobs.

“Shh, Rose. I know it’s a shock, but you’re fine, you’re both fine. I’ve checked you both out, no lasting damage. It’s okay, you’re okay.”

She was half hanging out of the bed still hooked to the IV and she sobbed harder. The Doctor unhooked the IV from her arm and swept her up against him. He sat down on the bed with her in his arms. He placed little kisses on her head and forehead and pushed the hair out of her eyes. He made small sounds of comfort while she cried herself out. 

When the sobs turned into hiccups and then sniffles, he turned so that they lay together on the bed. “I’ve got you. And I’m not gonna let anything happen to either of you. Now try to rest. Your body is still recovering. I’ll be right here when you wake up.”

The Doctor rubbed soothing circles on her back and whispered in her ear, “Sleep.”

Rose took several deep breaths and tried to calm herself. She managed to even out her breathing, but her racing thoughts kept her from sleep.

_Pregnant? A baby? I’m not ready to be a mum. And the Doctor...he’s bein’ so wonderful about the whole thing. He doesn’t seem mad...I don’t think, but he’s good at pretending. What if he is mad? Oh God. He’ll send me home. I know he cares about me and sometimes I think he might lo--...feel more, but he’s always pushin’ me away. Even after we shagged, the stupid git pretended like it never happened. And now I’m pregnant...after one time! One freakin’...though completely amazing time. Ugh. Well, he can’t pretend anymore, can ‘e?_

Rose gave a half snort/half sob surprising both herself and the Doctor. She bolted upright in bed covered her mouth with both hands.

“Rose, what’s wrong?”

“I think I’m gonna be sick.” She rushed out of the bed toward the Doctor’s en-suite. She made it to the loo just in time. There wasn’t much in her stomach to vomit, but the retching lasted a few minutes. 

She rested her head on the seat, and tried to gather her thoughts. She felt the Doctor place a cool, damp flannel on the back of her neck. She stiffened as mortification washed through her. “Please, can I have just a minute alone.”

The Doctor noticed her fiery blush. “There’s nothing to be embarrassed about, it’s a completely natur--”

Cutting him off, she snapped, “Please.” Her voice, tinged as it was with desperation, got him shuffling out of the door. He closed it softly behind him.

Rose tried to push herself off the floor, but felt too weak, so she sat with her head against the wall staring at the lights overhead. 

_Oh God, he runs from the mere idea of domestic, even though sometimes I think he secretly enjoys it, especially the family dinners. He loves his pudding._ Rose smiled fondly at the thought. _But...you don’t get more Domestic than a baby. That’s domestic with a capital D. He’ll never be able to cope. He’s definitely going to dump us off at Mum’s. No...He seems genuinely excited about the baby. Oh! And why wouldn’t he be? He won’t be the last of his kind anymore. Of course...that’s what it is. So then maybe he won’t drop us off at Mum’s permanently. And he wouldn’t leave me and take the baby, he’s not like that...can you imagine himself alone with a baby. Not bloody likely. An’ he’ll want to teach his son all sorts of Time Lord things that he can’t share with anyone else. But...but he won’t need me anymore either. He’ll have a son...another Time Lord...someone who will help him see the universe through new eyes...who will be impressed by him...I know he likes being seen as impressive...someone who can travel with him forever. His forever. Properly...forever._ No matter how hard Rose fought them, she couldn’t stop the tears from falling. _What am I going to tell Mum? She’s always natterin’ on about the Doctor and I being a couple and I always deny it. Now I show up pregnant? I’m never gonna hear the end of it. And she’s gonna be so disappointed. Just another unmarried, pregnant girl from the estates tryin’ ta hold onto a bloke that isn’t even interested. I'm a bloody cliche. Oh! What if the Doctor thinks I tried to trap him?_

Rose’s gasp echoed around the room. 

The Doctor knocked on the door. “Rose, are you okay?”

She swiped at the tears that wouldn’t stop. “Yeah, I’ll be out in a mo’.”

After a bit, she was finally able to pull herself upright and get her bearings before making her way over to the sink. After she rinsed out her mouth and put cold water over her puffy eyes, she felt ready to face the Doctor.

She opened the door and slipped quietly into the Doctor’s room. He was sitting on the bed holding a cuppa between his hands. He looked up her and patted the bed next to him. Rose perched stiffly on the edge. He passed her the tea. “Peppermint. It’ll...um.” He swallowed but said no more.

“Thanks.”

To avoid looking at the Doctor, Rose looked at the tea. It was a little more yellow, and lighter in color than her normal tea. And the Doctor put a fresh peppermint leaf in it. There it was floating at the bottom. _Wonder where he found that?_ She blew the steam across the surface of the cup as she brought it to her mouth. She took a sip. _Oh it’s sweet, he must have added honey._ She closed her eyes, and sighed in pleasure. “Thanks again.”

“Er, you’re welcome.” The Doctor rubbed at the nape of his neck.

They sat in silence. Rose sipped slowly at her tea and purposely avoided looking at him. The Doctor sneaked looks at Rose and tried not to fidget. The longer the moment stretched, the more uncomfortable each grew. Their always present, easy camaraderie was seemingly gone.

“Rose, did...did I do something wrong?” the Doctor asked when he couldn’t take the silence anymore.

“What? No...you’ve been great. Wonderful, really,” Rose admitted, finally looking at the Doctor.

“Oh, then...do...do you not want our, uh...the baby? Because,” he looked stricken, but continued on, “uh, if you...then we can...you don't have to...it’s...it’s...your choice.”

Rose’s hand went to her belly protectively and she looked as stricken as he did. “I...do you want me to...Do _you_ not want the baby?”

“No!” he practically shouted.

Rose felt as if she’d been slapped, all the air left her lungs and she struggled for breath.

The Doctor grabbed her hand. “Rose, no, I didn’t mean it like that. I meant, no, it’s not that I don’t want our baby, and of course I don’t want you to...you know. But you’ve been so upset since you found out about the baby, and I know it hasn’t been that long, just 18 minutes and 25 seconds...and I just thought...maybe you didn’t want...you’ve said you didn’t want kids and...I just wanted you to have a say...and that you’d choose...and you’d be happy again here on the TARDIS with...me...us...our family.”

“Really?”

“Really.”

“Oh, Doctor.” Rose wrapped her arms around the Doctor’s neck. “I’m sorry. I was worried you’d leave me at Mum’s first chance you got.”

He looked shocked. “What? Why would you think that?” 

“Domestics.” 

He flushed with embarrassed. “I promise I won't abandon you to Jackie. I’m never gonna live down half of what I said to you in that body. I’m so sorry.” They sat there cuddling. The Doctor rested his cheek on Rose’s head. “Is there anything else worrying you?”

When Rose failed to reply, the Doctor pulled back from their embrace to look at her. “Rose?”

Rose took a deep breath and admitted, “I was afraid you’d think I trapped you.”

“Trapped me?”

“Yeah, you know, by being pregnant.”

He looked at her with utter confusion. “I...I don't understand. What’s one have to do with the other, and what does trapped mean exactly in this context?”

Rose rolled her eyes and was suddenly glad for his alienness. “Back home when a girl has a bloke she’s tryin’ to hang on to for whatever reason, maybe he has a wanderin’ eye or like they say, he’s just not that into her, an’ then she gets pregnant, everyone thinks she did it on purpose so that she has this permanent connection to him. Not that the guy always sticks around, mind, but sometimes they do. And then they say she trapped him into staying with her.”

The Doctor looked both horrified and fascinated. “But that’s...I don't even know what that is. Sad? Unfair? Heartbreaking? Did you really think I’d feel that way? And how does that apply to our situation anyway?”

“Well, I just thought, cuz we’re not really together…”

“But you’re my best mate and we live together. How’s that not together?”

“Not properly together, like, dating, or committed, or something.”

The Doctor’s jaw dropped. “But I’ve taken you to some of the best places...in the universe. And as for commitment, you promised me forever.” He jumped off the bed and turned to face her, “Multiple times I might add! And I told you that you could spend your life with me. Is that not a commitment?”

Rose gaped at him. “But that was before we…,” she had to clear her throat before continuing, “I was talkin’ about couples, I don't know...in love?”

“Huh?”

Rose sighed before standing herself. She poked his chest. “You don't love me...like that.”

“You think I don’t love you? Of course I do!”

Rose swallowed hard, her eyes as round as saucers. “But you’ve never said.”

“I didn't think it needed saying, I thought you knew.”

“It needs saying, Doctor.”

The Doctor let his feelings show on his face for once and said, “Rose Marion Tyler, I love you.”

He took her in his arms and snogged her for all he was worth. Rose drew her arms slowly up his back to tangle in the hair at the nape of his head. He groaned into her mouth. They broke apart only when Rose needed air. While trying to catch her breath, Rose leaned her head against the Doctor’s chest and looked up into his eyes. “Why now? Why can you tell me now so easily,” she trailed off as his eyebrows shot up in surprise. “Okay,” she amended, “maybe not ‘easily,’ but every other time we’ve gotten close, you’ve done your best to push me away. And that’s what you did, you shouldn't be surprised I didn't think you could love me.”

Her hand fiddled with his tie, and he said gruffly, “But I do love you.”

“Still why now?”

The Doctor sighed. “I was afraid of getting too attached. I tried to keep you at arm's length because I thought it would be easier when you left me.”

“Doctor, I’m not gonna--”

“You will, maybe not by choice, but one day...you’ll be gone and I'm gonna have to live without you...and I thought if I didn't live it...us...fully then I wouldn't know what I was missing, and it might be easier.”

Blushing, Rose pointed out, “But even after we...you still...and you can't say you didn't know anymore.”

“No, then I knew, and I knew I could become addicted to you if I let myself, and I thought it would be that much worse, losing you.”

“So what changed now? Is it because of the baby?”

“Rose, I love you. I knew that long before I knew about the baby.” He kissed her on the tip of her nose. “I worked for hours on an antidote to save you. And at the end when I had no antidote and only minutes left with you. Minutes, Rose! Not years or decades. I didn’t feel relief that I’d pretended I wasn’t attached or that I’d pushed you away or denied loving you. And really what a fool was I in thinking that years of denying what we have would have made it _easier._ ” He spit the word as if it were a foul taste in his mouth. “All I felt was regret. Regret that I’d wasted so much precious time with you being afraid of the future and not living life, our life, to its fullest when I had the chance. And now that I have a second chance, I’m not gonna be an idiot again. And I don’t want you to be an idiot either. This is the last time I’m going to say it, and I hope it’s the last time you even think it. I. Am. Not. Trapped.” He scoffed at the very idea. “Rose Tyler, I give myself to you freely. You are the keeper of my hearts, the mother of my child, and the love of my lives.”

As tears began to fall, Rose said laughingly, “Am I going to be a watering pot this whole pregnancy? I never cry. How do I have any tears left?” She pulled him in for another snog. “I love you.” Kiss. “So much.”


	3. Epilogue

Rose woke slowly, a feeling of safety and contentment spread throughout her. She was cuddled up to a very naked Doctor, who was tracing circles across her body. 

“What time is it?” Rose asked sleepily.

 _Oooh, sleepy Rose voice. I like it, very sexy._ “It’s 3:00 am Rose Time.” 

A small smile kicked as Rose’s lips. “Rose Time?”

“Well, I keep telling you time is relative on the TARDIS, but I know what you’re asking and I think of the time that’s relative to you as Rose Time.” He leaned closer to her and pressed his lips to the side of her neck and then pulled back to whisper in her ear. “It’s the most important time in the universe as far as I’m concerned.” He went back to placing small kisses from her ear, along her jawline, down her throat...

Rose shuddered in pleasure, not sure if it was from his words or his kisses. _This is exactly how I wish it had gone after our first time, instead of..._ She must have made a noise of displeasure or stiffened when thinking of what had actually happened after their first time together, because the Doctor paused in his journey and looked into her eyes.

The Doctor sat up, a serious expression on his face. “Rose, I’m so sorry about last time...and every other time I’ve pulled back and hurt you.”

Rose tried to laugh it off and turned her head to hide her damp eyes. “How’d you know what I was thinking? Are you a mind reader now?”

The Doctor placed his hand on the side of her face and turned her to look at him. ”I know you, maybe better than I let on sometimes. And I can’t promise that I won’t ever do anything stupid…”

“Typical bloke,” she said teasingly.

The Doctor smiled at her. “Yeah. But I swear that I am fully committed to this, Rose. I love you. And I’ll tell you every time you need to hear it.”

Rose sat up and threw her arms around the Doctor’s neck. “I love you, too.”

They sat there for a few moments just holding each other. The Doctor pulled back first and looked at Rose nervously. “Um, I know you were joking earlier about me reading your mind, but you know we could if you wanted. I could show you how I feel.”

“Really?”

The Doctor nodded and had Rose sit tailor-fashion in front of him. He placed two fingers from each hand at her temples. “It won’t hurt, so don’t worry on that count. I’m going to make the connection by going into your thoughts. If there’s anything you don’t want me to see, imagine it behind a door and close the door. I won’t peek. Once the connection is made, you’ll be able to enter into mine. Do you trust me?”

Rose nodded and said, “Always.”

The Doctor pushed into her mind and could feel the truth of her statement, and he was humbled by it. _Rose, come with me._

“I...I don’t know how.”

 _Follow me._ The Doctor sent a wave of love that embraced her and drew her forth into his mind.

_Close your eyes and let yourself feel. You should be able to navigate my thoughts and memories using your mind’s eye._

Rose closed her eyes and concentrated. _Doctor?_

 _Hello!_ She could feel his pride and joy in her. _You’re doing amazingly well._

_It’s so strange and intimate. Do you ever get used to this?_

_I don’t make a habit out of it._ Suddenly the Doctor remembered having the same conversation with another not too long ago, and images came flooding forth before he could stop them.

Rose could see the Doctor’s memory of his interaction with Reinette. _You did this with Reinette?_

She could feel his nervousness and hesitancy. _Yes, I needed to look in her mind to see what the clock-work droids were scanning her for._

He showed her more of their interaction. He could feel Rose’s surprise at the kiss, both that he did it and also that he let her see it. _You snogged her?_ Rose felt hurt and it hurt the Doctor.

_Well, more like she snogged me, but I...I didn’t stop her._

The Doctor shared with Rose the feelings he had during the snog with Reinette - surprise, flattery, excitement. The giddiness he felt after learning who she was. He also shared his reluctant acceptance of being stuck in 18th century France on the slow path and his hope when he realized he could possibly make it back to Rose using Reinette’s childhood fireplace.

Hope bloomed in Rose’s chest. _I didn't think you’d have spared me a second thought when you were with her._

 _Rose! I may have let her be a distraction to my feelings for you, but the feelings I had for Reinette were shallow compared to what I feel when I’m with you...when I kiss you._ The Doctor leaned in and gently placed his lips over Rose’s. Immediately she felt his emotions rain down upon her and she felt herself begin to float as if in the sea. She could feel the Doctor’s love overwhelmingly, but also trust, awe, sorrow, and bits of fear and uncertainty. 

She realized he wasn’t completely secure in what her feelings were, so she tried to send him all that she felt for him. In her exuberance, she hit him with a blast of love, joy, trust, admiration, desire…

 _Ungh…_ He wasn’t expecting her desire and it took him by surprise. He couldn’t brace himself and felt her desire amplified by his own as it returned back to her. Little pulses of arousal quivered between the two of them.

 _Oh Doctor, this is wonderful._ She was like an open book and had very little control in filtering what she shared with him. Wave upon wave of euphoria traveled from her to him.

He could feel his cock harden in response. She could feel his cock harden as if it were her own, and dampness flooded her pussy. _Well that’s different._

Even his thoughts sounded strangled just then, _Good different or bad different?_

 _Uh, just different._ He let her feel what their shared arousal did to him and sent her images of what he wanted to do to her. _No, I changed my mind. It’s definitely good different._

She could feel his laughter. _Like that do you?_

_There’s no hiding what you do to me like this, Doctor._

_Do you want to stop? Is it too much?_

He felt her pause and brace herself before admitting, _I want to shag you like this._

She felt his shock and another flare of arousal as the possibilities flitted through his head. _I’ve never...but, I don’t see why we can’t._ She could hear him trying to catch his breath. She herself was pretty close to panting.

Before he could make a move, Rose leaned forward, bracing her hands on his thighs, and pressed her lips against his. She could feel how soft he found her lips to be and his little thrill at how close her hands were to another part of him that wanted her attention. She felt his desire to deepen the kiss and she parted her lips to meet his tongue. 

He could feel how much she wanted him to touch her, but he was trying his best not to break the connection of his fingers. _Rose, straddle me. I’m afraid that we’ll lose the connection if I move my hands. I’ll make it up to you later, but for now you’re going to have to get creative._

He could feel her resolve at the challenge of making this work. She slid her hands up his thighs, over his hips, almost brushing his throbbing member but intentionally skating passed it, to rest her hands over his racing hearts. 

She came up on her knees and moved forward so that she was seated on his crossed legs. She ran her fingers lightly through his chest hair and leaned forward to snog him again. When their lips met, she canted her hips forward to brush her clit against his aching cock. He moaned and bucked against her. _Rose, love, you’re driving me spare._

She broke their kiss to smile against his lips. He felt her delight in the power she wielded over him. Her happiness hit him like an aphrodisiac and he pulled her in for another kiss. His tongue chased hers and when he caught it, he sucked on it gently. Streaks of pleasure raced through her body and into his before returning magnified to her. 

She clasped her arms around his neck and rubbed herself against him. Her nipples grazed his chest and beaded, feeling more sensitive than usual. She pressed her slit up and down his staff, using him to bring herself closer to orgasm. The closer she got, the closer he felt to his. _Rose, please, I need to be inside you._

Rose pushed on the Doctor’s shoulders and they tumbled together so that they were laid out on the bed, the Doctor taking care to keep his hands to her temple. Rose was lying half on and half off the Doctor. She took him in hand and pumped him once, twice, three times. Shudders rocked through both of them. She could feel the pre-cum leaking from his tip and it caused her to get even wetter. _Now, Rose._

Rose climbed over the Doctor so that she was above him, resting on her elbows and knees. Her breath mingled with his as she guided the Doctor’s length to her entrance and sank down upon him. Feeling connected both in mind and body was overwhelming and they stayed unmoving while adjusting to the feeling. Little tremors traveled from Rose’s pussy down through the Doctor’s cock and neither could remain still any longer. Rose drew herself up and almost off him, before sinking back down, undulating her hips. _Oh God, right there._

The Doctor couldn't stop himself from pushing up into her. _Rose, Rose, Rose._

At first their movements were disjointed, but they quickly found a rhythm that worked for them both. _Yes, oh yes, just like that._

Rose couldn't hold herself up any longer and pressed herself more firmly against the Doctor. She rocked and rocked and rocked her hips feeling her orgasm building. _Rose._

_Almost there._

Rose brought her fingers up to the Doctor’s face and dragged her nails through his sideburns. She brought her mouth to his and caught his gasp. Shots of arousal burned through them both, and Rose felt herself fall over the edge. Her muscles tightening around the Doctor as he too found his release. Rose couldn't tell where her orgasm ended and his started. It all rolled through her as one and went on and on. It was the most intense feeling she’d ever experienced. And even as she came down from it, echoes of pleasure rang around her. 

“Rose.” It took Rose a second to realize that she was laying in the Doctor’s arms and he was speaking to her. She glanced up at his face. He was looking at her in awe. “You’re amazing. I've never...never felt anything like that...never imagined it was possible. I love you.”

She smiled and snuggled into his side. “Love you, too.”


End file.
